The chairman of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee says former Gov. Thomas Kean would be better off raising private sector funds to fund state arts programs than threaten a lawsuit to force taxpayers to pay for it in tough economic times.

State Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-Woodbridge), who served on the Senate Appropriations Committee, says that while the arts are important, “the ability to appreciate the arts is going to come as little consolation to a child who doesn’t receive adequate health coverage, doesn’t have a safe place to grow up, or doesn’t get a proper education.”

“Funding for our State’s priorities must be bottom-up, and we must fulfill our promise to keep kids safe and healthy before we can restore arts funding,” said Vitale.  “During this global economic crisis, we have to recognize that New Jersey cannot afford to fund every worthy cause, and must prioritize its funding.”

Vitale noted that Gov. Jon Corzine has proposed funding arts at a level that’s roughly $3 million less than last year, while still keeping $25 million in funding for projects in the proposed budget.

“Meanwhile, we’re struggling to fund every state priority, from health care to public safety to education,” said the Middlesex County Democrat.

“Governor Kean’s disappointment in the cut to arts funding is understandable, but ultimately, it’s a symptom of the stark fiscal times, not Governor Corzine’s performance.  If anything, the current Governor has done his best to preserve our priorities, and help alleviate the pain of cuts in other places of the budget,” Vitale said.  “While it might be easier to criticize from the sidelines, it’s much harder to govern when facing the economic realities that this Governor has had to face.

Vitale says that Kean’s threat of a lawsuit to force more arts funding is short sighted.

“At this time, we have bigger battles to fight, and bigger priorities to fund.  Governor Kean’s efforts would be better spent lending his clout to raising funds through private sources than forcing public spending on something we cannot afford in the current economic climate,” Vitale said.